The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1887-10-06
THE POPLAR RIVER INDIANS.
Bucks and Squaws az Tillers Of the Soil.
Faithful Governments Servants.

Bucks and Squaws a. Tillers Of the Soil.
Faithful Governments Servants.
Soon after the capture and breaking up
of Sitting Bulls great band in the winter
and summer of 1881 there were something
like 5000 Indians at the Poplar creek
agency. They were savages in every sense
of the word, possessed magnificent pony
herd, but they were still prisoners of war
and wards of the government. 1t was
hard to teach them the arts of civilization
and the ways of husbandry in a night So
long as the rations lasted and the pony
herd held out the captive aborigines did
very well, but as soon as food began to
fail the Indians failed also, and it is said
that great numbers of them died from
starvation. Since that unfortunate epoch
missionaries of the church have been busy
among them, who, together with the efforts
of the government agents, have placed the
Poplar river Indians almost on self sup
porting basis.
Last year more than 1000 acres were
under cultivation, although the crops were
almost total failure, owing to the unfor-
tunate drought which prevailed through
out the entire northwest. The present
spring has been an exceptionally good one,
and promises good crops If the weather
shall hold fine
There are number of schools at and in
the neighborhood of Poplar river, and one
large industrial boarding school, which is
run, under contract, by the missionary
society Of the Methodist Episcopal church
At Deer Tail, a Presbyterian school close
by, the teacher is Joseph Rogers, an edu-
Gated Indian, who teaches the youngsters
of his race Christianity and everything
else in their native Dakota language.
While at the agency / made sure to
visit the camp in order to inspect the
YanktOn brave when at home Aside
from all their meritorious progressions,
bucks, squaws, papooses, boys and maid
ems still cling to their ancient savage an
tipathy to hair growing on the face It
was not an infrequent sight to see the old
men, the youths approaching manhood
and the middle aged fellows, too, squat
ted on the grass, with bits of mirrors be-
fore them, busjly ut work pulling from
their faces with fine nippers the sprouts of
growing beard.
In the one Yankton village at Poplar
river l think it is low estimate to say
that saw 5000 dogs. Mongrels, monde
scripts, hounds, hybrid wolves, ours of
every description, followed me all over
the camp, smelling my heels and hugging
me closely, but taking to their heels like
shot at the slightest evidence of hostil-
1ty on my part. 1 should judge there
were two dogs to every Indian in all the
camps visited
The Indian police at Poplar river are
better to see than circus clowns. There
are twenty privates and two officers, and
they eyince the most passionate desire to
wear uniform of some kind. One private
/ saw wore colonel's blouse and shoulder
straps, and pair of common cotton draw
ers for trousers. Others were gotten up
in similar style, and adorned themselves
with tin, brass or some other metal in ga
lore whenever possible. 1t should be
stated, however, that they have been and
are good and faithful servants of the gov
eminent, earning every cent of the pay
they receive, and also ready and obliging
to go anywhere when ordered, at any time
of day or night.
There was time, and only few years
ago, when the noble red man would have
scorned to use an ak, handle hoe, or do
any other kind of manual labor. When
the first steamboats, came pushing far up
the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers there
preceded them, or came along at the same
time, adventurous white wood hawks,
VINO ca1nped along the rivers In the heart
OF the Indian country for the purpose of
supplying the boats with fuel Wood
yards were established at various conven-
lent points, and although the enterprise
carried with it isolation and exceeding
lonesomeness, yet there was money in it,
and not few made fortunes out of the
scheme. 1t is hard to believe that within
a year or two all this has been changed.
Caucasian wood hawks have disappeared,
and in their places stand Indian chop
pers, who hail the boats and haggle on
the price of wood with business insight
that promises each individual wealth in
the near future. Between Poplar river
and Rocky Point, on the Missouri, there
is not single wood yard whose propri-
etor is white man. The Indians havo
got there at last, and, from present indi-
cations, they promise to Chicago
Times.